Coin bagging machine

ABSTRACT

THIS DISCLOSURE IS DIRECTED TO APPARATUS TO AUTOMATICALLY COUNT AND BAG A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF ROLLS OF COINS. THE APPARATUS INCLUDES AN AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED DIVERTER WHICH AFTER THE DETECTION OF A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF COINS IS ROTATED TO DIVERT ROLLS OF COINS TO A NEW POSITION SO THAT THE BAGGING OPERATION IS SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS.

March 16, 1971 MURRAY ETAL COIN BAGGING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 5, 1968 4 a a I. n F 9 .l 3 ll w a l 4 3 \I-\ R T b f a O i 0 \lk 2\ 3 3 O O 7 I w H O 4 O 4 4 6 O 2 l 49 7 mm m 2 O N 7 7 2 F 6 6 4 2 3 2 2 4 w 3 6 INVENTORS JOHN H. MURRAY RICHARD D.WYL|E BY ATTORNEY March 16, 1971 Filed June 5, 1968 J- H. MURRAY ET AL COIN BAGGING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS JOH N H. M U RRAY RIC HAR D D. WYLI E M R. W

ATTORNEY March 16, 1971 J MURRAY ETAL 3,570,212

COIN BAGGING MACHINE Filed June 5, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 H N L LL LL N20 r\ V (L o 41L82b o COUNTQER IN V EN TORS JOHN H.MURRAY RICHARD D. WYLIE ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,570,212 COIN BAGGING MACHINE John H. Murray, Spartanburg, and Richard Dalton Wylie, Gatfney, S.C., assignors to Deering Milliken Research Corporation, Spartanburg, S.C.

Filed June 3, 1968, Ser. No. 733,963 Int. Cl. B65b 57/20 US. Cl. 53-78 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure is directed to apparatus to automatically count and bag a predetermined number of rolls of coins. The apparatus includes an automatically controlled diverter which after the detection of a predetermined number of coins is rotated to divert rolls of coins to a new position so that the bagging operation is substantially continuous.

Machines to automatically bag rolls of coins have been used in the industry for a number of years. These machines normally bagged a predetermined number of rolls of coins and then were stopped to remove the bag of coins. Then the machine was restarted and the operation repeated. These machines dropped the rolls of coins into the bags in random manner with no series attempt to orient the rolls of coins to provide a compact arrangement. This resulted in some manipulation by the operator to properly orient the rolls of coins prior to closing of the bag.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a coin bagging machine which substantially continuously bags rolls of coins resulting in increased production of bags of rolled coins.

Another object of the invention is to provide an auto matic coin bagging machine which operates substantially continuously to orient rolls of coins and bag them in a compact manner.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following specification taken in connection with the drawings which form part of this application, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of the improved coin bagger with parts thereof broken away;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of the coin chute and reciprocating undulated coin platform;

FIG. 3 is a section view taken on line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a an enlarged side cross-sectional view of the coin roll platfrom as shown in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic control diagram of the coin bagger control circuit.

Looking now to the drawings and especially to FIG. 1, the overall operation of the coin bagger will be described. Rolls of coins carried by a suitable means such as conveyor 12 are dropped vertically into the upper portion 14 of a coin chute. As the coin rolls 10 slide down the chute they pass a photoelectric counting mechanism consisting basically of a light source 16 which projects a beam of light through apertures 18 and 19 in the chute portion 14 to a photocell 20. Each time a roll 10 breaks the beam of light from the source 16 a count is recorded on a counter. The roll of coins 10 then proceeds toward the deflector 22 and depending on the position of the deflector 22 the roll of coins is diverted either into the right hand lower chute 24, as shown, or the left hand lower chute 26. From the chutes 24 and 26 the coins drop onto the reciprocating coin platform 28 from whence it is delivered up on the serrated member 31 on the bottom of either the coin chute 30 or 32 depending on the chute from which it was dropped. Attached to the end of each of the coin chutes 30 and 32 is a coin bag 34 into which a pre-determined number of coin rolls 10 are delivered by the coin platform 28 in a manner 3,570,212 Patented Mar. 16, 1971 'ice hereinafter described. Coin bag 34 is suitably supported by a support member 35 which is secured in position by struts 37. A plate 39 is pivotally mounted to the support member 3-5 to prevent the coin rolls 10 from pushing the bag 34 off the chute 30 or 32.

Looking now in particular to FIGS. 13 the operation of deflector 22 is shown in more detail. The deflector 22 is rotably mounted on a shaft 36 which projects through the bottom of the upper chute portion 14 and has a rotary solenoid 38 connected thereto which is also mounted to the bottom of the upper chute portion 14 by suitable bracket 40. In FIGS. 1 and 2 the deflector is shown in solid lines in a position to divert coin rolls 10 into the right hand chute portion. When the photoelectric counting mechanism counts a pre-determined number of coin rolls 10 the rotary solenoid is deenergized to rotate the deflector 22 to the dotted line position shown in FIG. 2 and the succeeding roll of coins will then be diverted into the lower coin chute 26 for transfer to the coin chute 32 by the coin platform 28.

The coin platform 28 is reciprocated continuously in a horizontal position when filling each coin bag 34 with coin rolls 10. The upper surface of the platform is undulated to provide a series of U-shaped indentations 40 so that a coin roll will lay substantially straight therein so that they will be supplied to the coin chutes 30 and 32 in aligned position.

The coin platform 28 is reciprocated by a linkage member 42 which provides slow forward and quick return motion such as that in a swinging block linkage. This motion is desired so that the coin rolls 10 will be pushed into the chute 30 or 32 slowly but at the same time the platform will return rapidly for the next coin roll. To provide this motion a pin member 44 projects through the coin platform 28 and is slidably held in the slot 46 of the linkage 42 which projects through the space between the slots 64 into a slot 47 in the middle of the coin platform 28. The linkage 42 is rotatably secured to U-shaped frame member 48 (FIG. 3) at approximately the center of the linkage 42 by bolt member 49. At the other end of the linkage the slot 50 slidably engages a pin 52 which is eccentrically mounted on a circular pulley disc 53 mounted on a shaft 54 secured in bearings 55 and 56 held in U-shaped frame member 48. The circular pulley disc is driven by a belt 58 which is connected to a pulley 60 driven by a reversible motor 62.

In FIG. 2 the back position of the linkage 42 and coin platform 28 is shown in solid lines and the forward position of the linkage 42 and coin platform 28 is shown in dotted lines. It should be noted that the angular distance between the pin 52 in the solid line distance in the direction of the arrow to the position of the pin 52 in the dotted line position is greater than the remaining angular distance between the two pin positions in the same direction. This design characteristic of the pin 52 and linkage 42 provides for slower forward motion of the coin platform toward the coin chute 30 and fast return to the next coin roll pickup position since the pulley disc 53 is being driven at a constant speed by the motor 62. As will be explained hereinafter, when the deflector 22 (FIG. 2) moves to the dotted line position the motor 62 will be reversed and the same slow forward and fast return relationship of the reciprocating coin platform 28 will be maintained with the left hand coin chute 32.

In the preferred form of the invention the platform 63 (FIGS. 3 and 4) supporting the coin platform consists of a series of elongated slot like members 64 held together in any suitable manner to form a grate type structure. Looking at FIG. 4 it can be seen that this construction allows the coins 66 from any coin roll 10, which is accidentally broken open, to drop through the coin platform into a pivotally mounted drawer 68 which can be readily opened by the operator and the coins retrieved.

As briefly described above, and assuming the deflector 22 is in the solid line position shown in FIG. 2, the coin rolls 10 slide down lower chute 24. If the coin platform is in the solid line position shown in FIG. 2 the coin roll 10 will drop onto the platform 63 and will be engaged by the curved surface 70 of the coin platform 28 and be pushed onto the chute 30 and into the bag 34 on the next forward stroke of the coin platform. If coin platform 28 is in a position under the lower coin c hute 24 the roll of coins will be dropped into one of the indentations 40 in the top of the platform 28. Then as the coin platform 28 is on the rearward stroke toward the coin chute 32 the coin roll 10 will contact the Wall 72 of the flower coin chute and will be held in this position until the coin platform moves to the extreme rear position, as shown in solid lines in FIG. 2, and the coin roll 10 is allowed to drop onto the platform in front of the curved surface 70. Then, as above, the coin roll 10 will be pushed slowly into the coin bag 34. The vertical distance between the bottom of wall 72 and the coin platform 28 is so selected so that it is less than the diameter of the roll of coins 10 being bagged. Hinged to each lower coin chute 24 and 26 is a weighted pivoted door 73 which will swing outwardly in case a roll or rolls of coins jam up in the chutes 24 and 26 or between the chutes and the reciprocating coin platform 28.

As discussed briefly before, the coin platform 28 is driven by reversible motor 62 represented in FIG. by motor windings 74 and 76. As shown in FIG. 5 relay 78 is closed energizing winding 76 driving the motor in one direction. As each coin roll slides past the photocell and light source 16, a signal is generated as the light beam is broken and is transmitted through the photoelectric relay 78 to the predetermining counter 80. When the set count of the counter 80 is reached a momentary contact is made between terminals 82 and 84 thereby energizing ratchet relay 85 to reverse relay contacts 78, 86 and 88. At the same time the predetermining counter 80 is reset to zero. Reversing of the relays 78 and 86 closes relay 78 to energize motor winding 76 and opens relay 86 to deenergize motor winding 74 to reverse the motor 62. Simultaneously the opening of relay 88 deenergizes the solenoid 38 to rotate the deflector 22 to the dotted line position shown in FIG. 2 to divert the rolls of coins into the coin chute 32. While the bag attached to coin chute 32 is being filled the operator can remove the filled coin bag 34 from the coin chute 30 and replace it with an empty bag. Then, when the counter 80 indicates the bagging of the set number of rolls determined by the counter 80 the above operation is again reversed by reversing the relays 78, 86 and 88 to once again rotate the deflector 22 to the solid line position in FIG. 2 to divert a predetermined number of rolls of coins into the bag 34 via the coin chute 24, coin platform 28 and coin chute 30.

As can readily be seen, we have provided apparatus which will readily and automatically bag a predetermined number of rolls of coins and at the proper time, without 4 manipulation by the operator, automatically switch to another position to fill another bag with rolls of coins 'while the operator is removing the first filled bag of coins. This apparatus allows almost continuous operation without having to start and stop the machine to remove and replace coin bags.

Although described in detail With particular reference to the preferred embodiment, it is contemplated that other advantages and modifications will become obvious to those skilled in the art and therefore we desire to be limited only to the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

That which is claimed is: v

1. Apparatus to bag rolls of coins comprising: a coin chute, means to supply a plurality of rolls of coins to said chute, a first coin roll receiving means operably associated with said coin chute, a second coin roll receiving means operably associated with said coin chute and spaced from said first coin roll receiving means, a reciprocating coin platform mounted between said first and said second coin roll receiving means and spaced below said coin chute and means mounting said coin chute above said coin platform so that the vertical distance between the top of the coin platform and the bottom of said coin chute is less than the diameter of the coin rolls, said coin chute including a downwardly projecting wall memher to limit the movement of a coin roll dropped onto said coin platform.

2. Apparatus to bag rolls of coins comprising: a coin chute, means to supply a plurality of rolls of coins to said chute, a first coin roll receiving means operably associated with said coin chute, a second coin roll receiving means operably associated with said coin chute and spaced from said first coin roll receiving means, a reciprocating coin platform mounted between said first and said second coin roll receiving means and spaced below said coin chute, means operably associated with said platform to reciprocate said platform, means mounting said coin chute above said coin platform so that the vertical distance between the top of the coin platform and the bottom of said coin chute is less than the diameter of the coin rolls, and means to selectively direct coins from said coin chute to said first coin roll receiving means on to said second coin roll receiving means, said means to reciprocate said platform being a reversible motor and means to reverse said motor when said selective coin director directs rolls of coins from said first coin roll receiving means to said second coin receiving means.

3. The structure of claim 2 wherein the upper surface of said coin platform is undulated.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,515,965 7/1'950 Nurnberg. 3,200,559 8/1965 Curtis 53-78 3,404,510 10/ 1968 Massengill 5 378X TRAVIS S, McGEI-IEE, Primary Examiner 

